


The Soul Gold Caper

by Lady__Luck



Series: The Hollowborn Revelry [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Bard - Freeform, Dwarf, Original Character-centric, Original Non-Binary Character - Freeform, Original Non-Human Character(s) - Freeform, Other, Tieflings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 08:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20757422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady__Luck/pseuds/Lady__Luck
Summary: A bard entires a seemingly horrid party. They believe they know how this will go.





	1. A Dramatic Entrance

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first time posting on here or anywhere for that matter which is why it;s a tad short. Been meaning to play a dnd character so much and for so long that i thought i'd just detail the boi in a fantasy setting of my own. Hope it's not shit?  
OH AND SUPER IMPORTANT
> 
> Hades uses They/Them pronouns and if you see the story saying things like "They did such and such" whill usually be in reference to Hades if that isn't understood . Sorry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bard entires a seemingly horrid party. They believe they know how this will go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this is my first time posting on here or anywhere which is why it's a tad short. Been meaning to play a dnd character so much and for so long that I thought I'd just detail the boi in a fantasy setting of my own. Hope it's not shit?  
OH AND SUPER IMPORTANT
> 
> Hades uses They/Them pronouns and if you see the story saying things like "They did such-and-such" will usually be regarding Hades if that isn't understood . Sorry.

As of the moment, Hades is walking through the corridors of a dwarven noble mansion during a party.  
Hades was not having a great time at said party. They were unsure why but something just seemed off.  
Was it the menagerie of rich dwarves being not so subtle about their surprise to see a purple-skinned, golden-eyed half-devil walking around in their uptight fancy gathering?  
Maybe.  
Is it that all the furniture and facilities are sized for dwarves and not a full-sized person?  
Perhaps.  
Was it their selection of hors d'oeuvres?  
Most Definitely - I mean elvish éclairs next to dwarven devilled eggs? Truly they must be monsters.

Luckily they won’t have to sit around and listen to Lady Riswynn’s stories about her trip to elven wine country or Sir Goran’s comments on Hades’s tail. He is simply jealous of its multipurpose nature. After a fair bribe to a less than deserving council member for the plans to the manor (just in case of aforementioned wine country stories), it was simply a matter of time before they noticed the inconsistencies in its layout, to be precise a secret room.  
And for a respectable merchant, doctor (I know right?) and sneakboi such as Hades Pandemonium Hollowborn, that means one of two things.  
1.A secret sex room - and with the house as fancy as it is who knows might find something gold-covered.  
Or 2. Treasure vault.  
Hades was willing to take the chance for either at this point. Times had been hard since the failure of their recent stage show “The Hades Haberdashery: A Hat Based Musical” due to a very similar show based on shoes for people with kinks or something of the sort….. Their life was tough enough supporting their “business partners” back at home base when their spending habits vary from expensive magic sandwiches to literal butlers. Plural. 

They finally reached the corridor that would reveal the “hidden room” which unsurprisingly was guarded by two squat dwarven men. One wore an eye patch and displayed somehow fewer teeth than a toddler while the other sported a long ginger beard riddled with small sticks and …. A whole chicken leg. The half-devil strode towards the guards with a sense of importance that they carried with them everywhere while slowly tapping their fingers against their hips, playing along to an unheard beat. 

“Halt!” Toddler-Tooth Dwarf exclaimed as he watched Hades's approach “This area isn’t for guests”  
“Yeah what he said, chuff off now will ya?” Chicken Dwarf added.  
Hades assumed a look of mock surprise as the tempo of their tapping increased “Oh apologies my good fellows, I must have gotten turned around in this wonderful abode, but since I’m here why don’t I relieve you of your guard duty?”

The dwarves looked at each other rather confused and to be fair to them they did indeed think to reach for their weapons as a stranger told them to leave their station…. That is until they glimpsed the soft blue glowing and the wonderful rhythmic tapping of that stranger's hands. Their eyes glossed over as the subtle bardic magic took over  
“Seems fair to me ” Toddler-Tooth mumbled as his compatriot nodded in agreement. Both guards walked down the corridor and out of sight as Hades developed a large grin. Manipulating people with music is easier with an actual instrument but even mere tapping seemed to be good enough with a more simple audience - but amazing magical abilities aside Hades didn’t have time to stroke their ego quite yet. Not when there's an easy payday to be snatched.

They examined the door locks and traps but to their surprise, they found only a crude Iron block keeping the door barred which seems odd enough for a secret room without the fact that it means this wasn’t as dramatic as Hades had hoped. They struggled to lift the heavy metal bar before shakingly dropping it to the ground with a horrid clank. The only apparent benefit to having to go through the labyrinthian hallways of this estate is that no one is close enough to hear the commotion caused by Hades lacking physical strength. After a small magical makeup touch up (Who knows what might happen) they cracked their fingers before the massive doors “Alrighty, then let's see what's behind door number 1 shall we ?” Hades remarked to an invisible crowd.

The doors opened easier than they thought. Though of course, seemingly easy is never really so.  
For instance when someone who markets themselves as someone who ”borrow goods without the intention to return them” stumbles into a secret room expecting to find gold or a menagerie of sex toys that would make even Priestesses of the Love Goddess blush , that someone is not quite expecting a dusty and bare stone room with a single sickly looking dwarf girl chained to wall. Now, this could still fit into the Sex Room idea but it was seeming less and less likely as Hades Hollowborn made surprised eye contact with the trapped woman. Her sunken amber eyes peered at Hades filled with sorrow, the chains binding her arms as she stumbled to her feet, malnutrition and injury sustained by some kind of burns around her manacled wrists making themselves evident in the light.  
She looks awful.  
From a medical point of view, it’s a wonder she can move at all. Her dwarven nature is probably the only thing keeping her alive in these conditions.  
Dwarves.  
Tough Buggers.


	2. Well Shit.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See Above.

The woman strains against the chains as Hades rushes to her side. They quickly started a beat with their hands, feeling the vibrations and tuning out interference while humming an infernal drinking song under their breath. A dull blue glow emitted from the bard as they ended the ditty by clapping their hands onto the chains. To the captives surprise the chains grew red hot and melted apart onto the floor harmlessly.  
“I really hope you're not some kind of cannibal or something in which case this will literally come back to bite me but I’d suggest we leave” Hades now kept their eyes fixed on the door as to be warned by the potential return of the guards - Although those buffoons had presumably walked off there was no telling if something might break the spells hold. The dwarf kept their eyes on Hades, stuck with a face of confusion. “W-why?” her voice croaked.  
“Oh, it’s simple my dear! I can’t leave a lady in such a horrid state,” Hades chuckled.

  
This only made the confusion grow on her face, which shifted slowly to sorrow as she crawled ever so slightly back to the wall. “ I know this is a trap if you want to beat me just get it over with”.  
“Because dwarven nobles invite half-devils in just to kick around a lady a lot do they? For what reason would I have to hurt you?”  
“You’re here, aren’t you?” She coughed, clutching her throat before starting back at them “No one comes in here but to feed me or beat me - and you're not the chef”.   
Hades groaned. Sudden escape attempts seem unlikely at the moment with her apprehension. Turning away from the door, they sat comfortably on the floor in front of her. They looked at the eyes of the woman again. Amber but filled with a mix of anger, fear, and sadness. A look that once filled Hades golden eyes a long time ago. A look that screamed of solitude and despair. A look they were determined to avoid in themselves again.  
“Might I ask your name before you accuse me of violence again?”  
After a lot of chains jingling, she shuffled forward. “June”

  
“June, lovely to meet you“ Hades tipped an imaginary hat to her “Now about this apparent beating I am supposed to be committing? Unless this is indeed a secret room of pleasure I doubt I will be doing any harm to you”  
Somehow June seemed even more perplexed at this “But… You’re here? You’ll get in trouble if they find you - I don’t even know you!” Her voice grew louder as emotion filled her voice.  
“You may call me Hades if you’d like and if I thought I’d be taken down by a bunch of politicians and run-of-the-mill guards, I doubt I would get up in the morning”. They slowly reached their hand towards June and played a small finger tapped beat against her shackles which disappeared in a burst of blue smoke and various music notes.

  
“I am a talented bard but there are limits to what magical feats I can do - I can make guards leave their station but they will come back eventually and I can open simple manacles lock but only if I think they need to be removed”  
Hades slowly grasped June’s hands, squeezing them ever so gently as the apprehensiveness that seemed to fill her lessened.  
“Now, I can get you out of here if you’d like because (A This room is boorish and (B I believe you’d benefit from a little less torture and imprisonment”  
June’s look of confusion had all but washed away as tears rolled down her cheeks as she laughed quietly to herself before settling into a sad smile“ I don’t know …”  
Hades released Junes hand before extending their own again in a handshake fashion.  
Are you aware of a devils proclivity for deals? My infernal parent was not quite as wicked as churches will paint them out to be but they did get that part right” Their outstretched arm now glowed with pale bluish runes “ I will swear on my honour, my wardrobe and my horns that I shall not let you be shackled again …. Unless you’re into it I suppose”

  
June looked at the bard in the eye as her tears continued to fall. “They locked me up because I’m wrong, I deserve to be here Hades - You’ve only known me a couple of minutes and your betting your honour?”  
Now Hades had many talents. Sleight of hand, charm, magical powers and a legitimate medical license oddly enough ( long story ). Their brain buzzed with information but the observation was never quite in Hades’s wheelhouse. They were no detective but luckily her other skills and some innate luck picked up the slack. The burns on her wrists from the chains, Her outstanding constitution even for a dwarf …. And her eyes…. It all clicked together.  
“Your a lycanthrope - a werewolf” Hades eyes glinted with fascination as their hands glow faded into its normal purple hue.  
“Exactly - I can’t help it but I’m a monster, now leave before I hurt you” June mumbled. This seemed less like a threat and more a warning. Hades remained seated on the ground, the look of fascination still on their face. They moved a hand to June’s face but she jerked away backing up against the wall again as her expression drifted back to despair .

The bard looked at odds. They wanted to help but the pain is a pain. It’s harder to remove than simply wishing it away with a speech from someone you just met which unfortunately they know better than most. And so they stood and walked towards the wall and sat down besides June. She didn’t move away but her crying drifted through the chamber.

Hades pulled two small drumsticks from their satchel and after a flick of a wrist and an infernal word they morphed into an onyx ukulele, a sad look crossing their face as their current choice of action would mean having to feel it all again. They weren’t sure it was going to help but they saw themselves in June. Believing themselves to be a monster because the world thought of them so, not thinking they deserved redemption for their nature regardless of their choices and actions. But the world deserves more oddities. More people to see their show. More people allowing themselves joy. “Can I show you something odd June? If you hear what I have to say I shall leave and never return - whether you decide to come with me is your choice.”  
She wiped away her tears and nodded slowly, staring at the opposing wall.

The strumming came in light as blue light filled the room, locking the door and changing the imagery as the blue light solidified and changed the room to seem completely different. Now the pair sat up against a tree in a field overlooking a ruined town, still smoking. Towers crumbled and homes turned to ash with seemingly no signs of life. “Now I don’t expect you to be up to date on every town in the realm but this is where I’m from - Alltern” Hades said as they gestured to the ruined structures and burning waste “ When I left the town for the first time, I was so excited to be out but coming back a week later to a pile of rubble? It leaves a hole”.  
Another younger-looking Hades comes running past them. Smaller and a lighter tinge of purple, they spring forward with a look of pure joy on their face. A look that vanishes with the strength to stand when they see the town destroyed.

“A group of paladins came through looking for my family - devil and a dark elf? Not exactly what they deem proper” Hades eyes drift to the grass as they pass their hands through the illusion of their past, dropping the instrument to the ground. The illusion fell away as they returned to the dark and dull room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank a superb friend for telling me this wasn't total shit. Might be lying but I appreciate it none the less


	3. Now or Never - Or how a Bard exits in style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end is near, but the story isn't even started yet.

It hurt. The town smoking even in an illusion hurt more than any funeral dirge.

Seeing that again hurt more than any bar fight or paladins blade could. But now wasn’t the time.

“Now I imagine dumping a strangers trauma on to you is no way to convince you - Though it should help illustrate my point” Said Hades as they moved closer to June “ Shit happens - whether it’s a ‘curse’, fiendish parentage or just bad luck but it doesn’t have to be awful”. June shuffled closer to them, resting their head on Hades side much to the bards and very likely their own surprise. She sat for a long while while they waited, what it was she was waiting for neither of them knew but in that moment of shared pain, there was an element of peace. The warmth emanating from the small girl's frame eased the pain that they just willingly brought onto their soul again. An odd feeling radiated from Hades chest. Didn’t seem like early signs of cardiac arrest or musculoskeletal inflammation.

It was warm. It felt like ...Joy? Contentedness? 

Odd. Seemed different. Not bad just…. Odd.

The silence was broken by the dwarf.

“I used to be a princess, you know? Not a big fancy human one but a princess” June murmured as she grasped Hades hand. They didn’t react to this news. They should’ve but they managed to stay composed despite how much royalty tended to make things more dramatic. The comforting notion of having her trust and the weird chest feeling kept them at ease.

“When I was little I got really sick, like plague level or so I was told. They kept me in my room and only allowed me out on special occasions as long as the sun was up and I take my medicine”   
“Wolf’s bane serum?” Hades guessed to which she nodded. Since wolfsbane is usually poison the only one who can survive taking it are dwarves but it would, in theory, suppress a werewolf’s ability to shift if they survived the initial poisoning.” My dad was never around and I found out why not long after - he was a werewolf - that’s the reason I’m like this and why they can’t just cure me” She nuzzled her head more into their side and sniffled.

“Cute? I do hear that can't be cured “ Hades pondered as June glared at them slightly “ though of course, I would never describe myself as cute …. Gorgeous, handsome and resplendent but yes, I believe cute fits you quite well” 

They squeezed her hand gently. She squeezed back between her muddled looks as she struggled for words. “You're not frightened of me? Not scared I might turn on you one day and eat you up ?” June’s grip got tight.”Well, I’m neither a pig nor a bedridden grandmother so fairytale logic leads me to believe I'll be right in dandy if you get snackish”. She moved her head off of their side to look at them. Those amber eyes stared at them.

That’s odd. There’s that feeling again. Hades made a mental note to do a full checkup when they returned home.

“I can’t tell if you're being serious or this all a sick joke”.

The bard was silent for a long moment before bursting into laughter. “What is so funny? I’ve got cursed blood and everything!” She remarked in anger and confusion, standing up to look down at Hades. Although Hades was no detective they could tell that maybe they weren't the one she was trying to convince. Time spent by themselves had hardened the message the savages who trapped her here bombarded her with - she deserves this because she’s wrong. 

Fuck that.

  
Hades stood as their chuckling ended, dusting off their pants and extending their suddenly glowing rune-covered arm to her once again. “Cursed blood huh? Join the club sweetie - possibly quite literally”. Her hand inched from her side before a distant clanking of armour rattled through the walls.

Junes head suddenly swerved as her ears pointed to the door “ They know about your tricks, They’re coming” her breathing hastened as she listened to the air more “ You need to leave or they’ll catch you”.“But I am a simple bard my dear, a bard who still hasn’t gotten an answer to a burning question”

“If you don’t leave they will literally burn you” Her voice was increasingly frantic as her eyes shifted between the door, Hades and their outstretched arm. 

The door banged and crumbled inwards slightly as a mass of guards yelled attempting to force the massive door open past Hades past magical locking.

“Well I’m thinking about it - but I want you with me so I’ll be needing your answer”

**BANG**

“Now?”

**BANG**

“Now”

The doors fell off its hinges as guards rushed forwards to surround the pair.

June stared at Hades for what seemed like an eternity before slightly nodding towards them as she slowly raised her hand to grab theirs. Hades's sharp toothy grin grew wide across their face as the blue runes spread along to Junes in an instant, painlessly marking her skin with infernal blue marks.”C’mon fellows, who wants a shot at the devil? The winner gets a fiddle or so I'm told” 

The guards recoiled slightly at the sight of the smiling horned humanoid but a particularly toothless dwarf stepped forward.

“Back away from the prisoner so they can be detained you halfbreed” The guard shouted.  
Hades pulled June close to their chest, their smiles fading into an unimpressed smirk, Their eyes now alit with the same blue energy.

“Sorry my good chap, got places to be and people to bamboozle! Besides I can’t let this lady to be shackled again”.

Phantasmal music notes surrounded the bard as their eyes drifted down to a very terrified looking dwarf girl. 

She was quite cute. 

They’d known them for about an hour and some change and most of that time was spent sitting on the ground in the silence between trauma exposition and such.

She was nice. She felt warm. She needed help.

The guards seemingly rushed towards them in slow motion with theirs spears raised ready to stab at their foe. 

And Hades did something they hadn’t done in quite a while. They crouched and faced June towards them, lifted her chin to match her eye line . And they smiled. Not a smile gained from tricking someone or defeating someone or feeling superior. Not a smile at the grief of others. A genuine joyful smile as they gazed into those amber eyes. “After all Deals a deal”. And in an explosion of music and blue flames that scorched the guards - they had disappeared. 

The guards stared in pained horror at the scorch marks. They all looked towards a dwarf with few teeth and a dwarf with a now over-cooked chicken leg in their singed beard.

Chicken dwarf fell to their knees as Toothless dwarf stared at the roof shaking their head before they both said the same thing.

“Well fuck”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since I'm on kind of writing bender this week once I figure out how to competently write the continuation I will and hopefully, it'll be a tad longer. But Hades and June ain't done . Lots more qeer nonsense , quips, fanciness and goblin children to show up...Whoops. Spoilers.


End file.
